If you’ve never made an infamous, crustless, all gooey inside Basque Cheesecake, then you haven’t tried the best cheesecake yet!
Sometimes, you taste a dessert that is so amazing, it forever marks itself on your consciousness for the sheer delight of the experience. The first time I tasted Basque cheesecake was while visiting Barcelona, Spain. There was a little café right around the way from my villa that served the most delicious café bombons, so sweet yet bitter. One day, I noticed a little placard advertising the dessert special of the day: Basque cheesecake. When I asked the waiter what a Basque cheesecake was, he soon brought what looked to be a little wedge of this caramelized, crustless concoction to my table.
“This is on the house. You simply must try it,” he stated and rushed off to attend to other hungry diners.
One bite of this heavenly dessert, and I was literally transported. That caramelized cheesecake exterior makes a lovely bitter contrast to the soft, sweet cheesecake interior that begins to seep out the minute you pierce the cake. It’s also a lighter and fluffier cheesecake experience than a traditional cheesecake and, oh, does it bring the flavor and texture experience of your life.
I will never forget the experience of tasting that Basque cheesecake for the first time, or the morning light in Barcelona glinting off all the roofs of the villas and the pebbly walks, and the smells of the coffee brewing in the café, and the sound of all the people talking and enjoying one another.
The story of Basque cheesecake
Although it has humble origins, the Basque cheesecake has now become so globally popular, even The Cheesecake Factory serves a version of this famous cheesecake.
So just what is a Basque cheesecake? Basque cheesecake, sometimes called a San Sebastián cheesecake, is a cheesecake that was invented in the 1980s by a chef named Santiago Rivera at his restaurant and pintxo bar, La Viña, in San Sebastián, Spain, in the Basque region.
What the chef sought was to create a cheesecake with all the velvety smoothness and hard-hitting taste impact of a really good chocolate mousse, explaining in an interview, “At the time, I was working with a chocolate mousse, and … I wanted the cheesecake to do the same, to make it so the flavour goes straight from the fork to your palate to your brain, instantaneously.”
And boy does the flavor go to your brain instantaneously the minute you bring the fork to your mouth with this creamy, custardy cheesecake. To heighten the taste experience of the cheeses in the cheesecake itself, Rivera removed the crust, so the diner would have no distractions or need to chew anything that might distract them from the pure taste experience of the cheesecake itself.
How do I store leftovers?
You can store this Basque cheesecake for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap or transferred to an airtight container. Being a very custardy cake full of things that don’t freeze well (like cream cheese), this is not a suitable cake for freezing, so eat up!
Serving suggestions
I love to serve this luscious, indulgent, almost heady cheesecake after a light meal, so as not to fill the guest before the star of the show comes to the table. First, nothing says elegant, light dining like this Peach, Pecan, And Goat Cheese Salad. It complements just about every protein I know with all those fruity and nutty notes in there. For a light dinner, I love this Stuffed Salmon recipe with this Loaded Veggie Pasta on the side.
If you love this Basque cheesecake recipe, try this recipe for New York-Style Fresh Peach Cheesecake next.
Basque Cheesecake
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter for greasing the pan
- 2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
- 3 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Line the pan with parchment paper, allowing it to extend above the rim by about 2 inches.
- Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Mix in vanilla extract, then slowly add heavy cream and beat until combined. Sift in flour and fold until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 60-70 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the center is still slightly jiggly.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool in the pan for at least an hour. Remove from the pan and let it cool completely. Slice and serve at room temperature.
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